Sunday, July 28

Lightning II in a three tone camo? Kittyhawk's getting some much needed colour into their F-35 A - Pt I of II

Well I have seen a lot of "Grey" F-35A Lightning II Kits in 48th scale since Kittyhawk released their excellent little twin-tailed single engined fighter - but never a camo'ed version! Well with technology and some excellent modelling by Ethelian we can now realize a more colourful "almost-what-if" scheme for this aircraft in this large two part build and review - if you are sick of the same old grey Lightning II then this is for you...

The F-35A is Kittyhawk’s second F-35 kit, the first
being the VTOL F-35B version. The F-35 is otherwise known as the JSF (Joint
Strike Fighter) and is manufactured by an American led consortium who are
sharing the costs between them. Of the three variants of the F-35 we now have
two in plastic, and more than likely will have the “C” version as well. Who
could have thought, at this time last year, we would be looking at not one, but
two versions of the F-35.

The F-35A lacks all of the VTOL capability of its
sister the F-35B and because of that the F-35A should be a much easier build.
This is a genuine fifth generation stealth aircraft. As such it will make for a
considerable upgrade to Nations that flew the venerable Harrier. However there
is much debate over whether the extra weight of the VTOL capable aircraft makes
it a viable option when it comes to the added costs of development, production
and maintenance. Baring that in mind the F-35A looks a better option than the
F-35B, to cash strapped Nations.

The box artwork for the F-35A is not quite as dynamic
as on the F-35B, however it is still an attractive box top and we are more
interested in what is inside the box. Inside the box are six light grey sprues,
two fuselage halves, a sprue containing the clear parts, two decal sheets and
one very small sprue that contain the control panel and the cover for the
control panel. The instructions are contained in a glossy booklet and look easy
to follow.

On removing the sprues from the box two things are
very noticeable, firstly the surface detail and secondly how clean of flash and
knock out marks the sprues are. Considering some recent releases from other
manufacturers that are riddled with knock out marks, many of which are in
difficult to remove places, this is a definite plus in Kittyhawk’s favour.
However there are some knockout marks on the inside of the intakes and the bomb
bay doors. A quick swipe with a sanding stick should remove these on the
intakes, but you will need to fill those on the bomb bay doors. Thankfully
there is no detail there that will be lost when sanding. The only other area
that causes me concern is down to the attachment points to the sprue. Some of
these are quite thick, especially on delicate parts and some of the attachment
points are on the mating faces, so careful removal and clean-up will be the
order of the day. However these are two minor criticisms and should not detract
from the overall appearance of the parts.

So let’s take a closer look at the parts. Starting
with the cockpit, it is much the same as the plastic parts for the F-35B kit
although there are a couple of extra parts and this time the throttles are
correctly numbered, unlike in the F-35B kit. It is good to see a manufacturer
correcting errors like that. The detail on the seats is passable, however,
unlike the F-35B kit, there are photo etch seat belts and additional photo etch
parts for the canopy. It is really pleasant to see a manufacturer include photo
etch seat belts in a kit as this is often an area that is lacking. The front
wheel bay features some nice detail that will leap out with careful painting.

The intakes are full length and will need painting
before assembling; the same goes for the engine, although most if not all of it
will not be seen. The main undercarriage bays are the same as on the F-35B and
will build up quite easily. The two bomb bays look the same as the F-35B’s,
however this time Kittyhawk have included both the location points for the
trunking, something they did not do on the F-35B, another example of Kittyhawk
correcting earlier mistakes.

The detail on the two fuselage halves looks very
crisp and slightly more restrained than on Hasagawa’s F-22, there is enough
definition of the RAM panels to be able to paint them but not so much that they
look over done. Many people who have contemplated building the F-35B have been
put off by the lack of masks for the RAM panels. Perhaps this is something
Kittyhawk could look into and either release them as a standalone item or
include them in the “C” version, if they plan on doing one.

The stabilisers and tail fins look exactly like the
F-35B’s and should assemble with ease. They feature the same raised RAM panels
as on the earlier kit. All doors are positionable, although thankfully there
are not as many on the F-35A as on the F-35b. On the F-35B there was the option
to have under wing weapons pylons, as well as the two internal weapons bays.
However on the F-35A there are only the internal weapons bay ordinance supplied
and no under wing pylons either. I take it this is because the F-35A is the
smallest of the three planned F-35’s

The decal sheets are different to those that came
with the F-35B, although on first glance they appear the same. The obvious
difference is down to the removal of the VTOL markings. Other than that they do
look the same. The photo etch fret is vastly different though with a complete
exhaust nozzle, or turkey feathers if you prefer, in photo etch. However it
does not end there, there are the aforementioned seat harness, two vents for
the right hand side of the fuselage, one for the left hand side of the fuselage,
the plate for the top of the seat behind the head rest, a canopy frame with the
associated struts, aft brace, locks and the hooks for the canopy sill. It does
not end there either, there is a photo etch flame holder and saw tooth ring.
Again it is good to see a manufacturer not sitting on its laurels and including
more detail in a kit.

Original markings in the box and below them the aircraft they represent

The only, slight, difficulty I see with the photo etch
concerns the instructions. In most kits if there are photo etch parts included
in the kit they are called out during the instructions. Kittyhawk, for some
reason, have included a separate sheet showing where the entire photo-etch
goes. It is not a big problem, but it does mean the modeller needs to make a
note of where the photo etch parts go before tackling an area where they are
included.

Conclusion

It is always hard to write an in box review without
being able to construct the model as one does not know what hidden horrors the
construction phase may be hiding. However going purely on what is in the box
this does look to be an easy to build kit that oozes detail. The F-35A should
be a lot easier to build than the F-35B just because the modeller does not have
to worry about lining up all the parts for the VTOL engines, which has caused a
few people problems. The quality of the plastic and photo etch parts is on a
par with other more established manufacturers and the decals are in perfect
register. I can recommend this kit to anyone who has an interest in modern jets
and cannot wait to start building it. It is just a shame the only paint scheme
for it is grey, but that should not in any way detract from the quality of the
kit.

Building the kit:

Has there ever been a more troubled gestation period
for a new military aircraft than that of the F-35 Lighting II? It almost seems
that a day does not go by without hearing of another problem with this program.
Obviously the task of developing three different versions of the F-35 has led
to some of the issues that have been raised but it could also be fair to say
that this aircraft is pushing the envelope of what can be developed with
current technology. A good case can also be made that the F-35 could be the
last manned fighter jet to be developed. Current technology for unmanned
planes, or drones as some refer to them, could remove the need for a human to
occupy a cockpit and instead they could be flown by remote control, only the
future will answer that question.

The three variants of the F-35 differ greatly in
capabilities and this article will cover the F-35A, perhaps the simplest, in
terms of construction, of the three. The F-35A does not have the vertical take-off
and landing capability of the F-35B, so the big lift fan is missing and the
fuselage looks a lot cleaner than the F-35B.

The F-35A is Kittyhawk’s second F-35 kit and it was
pleasing to see they have not just rehashed their F-35B kit. Instead we get
extra details, such as a PE harness, PE exhaust and numerous more details for
the canopy, all of which are a pleasing addition. However the instructions are
still riddled with errors, more on this as we progress with the build.

Well it is no surprise that the build starts with the
cockpit which is supplied as a one piece tub with a couple of parts to add, the
instrument housing, a couple of boxes and the seat.

The detail of the seat is up to the standard you
would expect from an injection moulded seat and the addition of a photo etch
harness is a welcome addition. The lack of a harness/seat belts, is a major
annoyance for me in many kits so it was pleasing to see Kittyhawk add these to
the F-35A kit. The instrument panel is supplied as a decal and looks a bit
indistinct. This is a slight annoyance as the huge canopy, whether open or
closed, provides a clear view of the cockpit.

Once the cockpit had been assembled and painted it
was time to turn our attention to the front undercarriage. This is similar to
that ion the F-35B and features the same problem. When trying to mate the two
halves of the fuselage together there is a conspicuous bulge around the area
where the cockpit tube and under carriage bay meet. Vigorous sanding is needed
in this area; however I found that the parts will only just fit even after they
had been sanded as much as I dared.

I can’t emphasise enough how much material you have
to remove to get a reasonable fit in this area and dry fitting is definitely
the order of the day here. There are a couple of mistakes in the instructions
in this area as well. Part number E28 should actually be E13 and part number
D27 should be E27, so do take care to ensure you have the correct parts. The
next photograph shows the parts break down for D19 and E27 as they are shown as
one piece in the instructions

The next stage are the intakes and this parts fit
together very well, care should be taken when mounting them on the fuselage and
I found the best way to be to leave them lose as the two fuselage parts will
hold them in place. I assembled the engine at this stage and after painting the
intakes and the engine added them to the fuselage. I recommend adding parts B14
and B15 at this stage. The best way to do this is to glue them in place and
then add the upper fuselage before B14 and B15 have dried. This allows you to
position them correctly as they are a tricky fit. Again lots of dry fitting at
this stage will save you any heartache later on.

When assembling the engine part C1 should actually be
G2, so be careful to choose the correct part number.

With the engine assembled and installed my attention
turned to the exhaust. Kittyhawk offer this part in plastic as well as in photo
etch. The photo etch parts were chosen for this build and after they were
annealed they were rolled into shape and with the help of copious amounts of
super glue finally positioned correctly. Be careful here as it is easy to
misalign these parts and if you are at all unsure about using the photo etch
parts stick with the plastic parts as these are a lot easier to use although
the detail is not as good as the photo etch.

Kittyhawk supply the burner ring in photo etch as
well and this was added to the engine.

There are some photo etch grilles/screens to add to
the fuselage, the separate colour instructions show the location of these
parts. As usual they were annealed before adding them to the fuselage. I have
to say I was disappointed with these parts as they were overly thick and no
matter how many times they were annealed they would not conform to the shape of
the fuselage. In hindsight the best approach here would have been to remove the
plastic where the grills fit, this is not shown in the instructions but would
make more sense as without doing that the grills sit too high.

So not a bad start, a few minor niggles with the
instructions and the fit of the cockpit/under carriage bay, other than that the
usual Kittyhawk quality is in evidence and the addition of the photo etch
harness is a pleasing surprise.

Moving on to the weapons bays these are slightly different to the weapons bays
in the F-35B, mainly it is due to the parts count, with only the ducting from
the F-35B kit being retained. There is an error in the instructions here as
Kittyhawk show the various boxes from the F-35B kit. However there is a
separate instruction insert that shows the correct assembly of the weapons
bays.

A feature of the F-35 kits is the modular
construction of the weapons bays and under carriage bays. These are added to
the fuselage to help strengthen the fuselage. The under carriage bays are the
same as the F-35B and assembly is very straight forward.

Kittyhawk would have you install the under carriage
legs at this stage but there is no need to as they will just slot into place
later on making painting much easier as well as the handling of the model.
Being able to slot the under carriage legs into place later on means there is
no chance of them being damaged when handling the model during the construction
and painting stages.

As with the F-35B there is a plethora of doors to be
added, although thankfully not as many as the F-35B. These are straight forward
to assemble, but care must be taken to ensure all the hydraulic arms are
correctly positioned. Other than that, and the amount of doors, this is a
straight forward stage.

Setting the doors aside to dry, attention turned to
the weapons load out. Kittyhawk provide a variety of weapons and they are of a
reasonable detail level. However the purpose of the F-35 is stealth but if the
wing weapons pylons are added this ability is degraded by anything up to 90%.
Not only that but Kittyhawk does not provide any location holes for the wing
mounted pylons so it was decided to leave these off and just have weapons in
the weapons bays.

One of the main differences between the F-35A and
F-35B kit is the amount of new photo etch that Kittyhawk supply. This is
evident in two areas, the exhaust and the cockpit. Turning our attention to the
cockpit the canopy was dipped in Future (Klear) and left to dry. Once it was
dry it was masked and painted and then the photo etch was added. This was done
using Krystal Klear glue as this allows some movement of the parts to locate
them correctly.

There are photo etch additions for the sides of the
cockpit and these were also added at this stage.

There is an issue here that needs to be addressed at
this stage. If you add the entire photo etch to the bottom of the canopy,

and want the canopy closed you will need to open up all of the slots

That is the construction phase of the F-35A finished
and it should be noted that this is an easier build than the F-35B with the fit
of the parts being much better than the F-35B. This is mainly because the
construction of the F-35A is much simpler than that of the F-35B, losing the
VTOL fans/engine really does help with the construction and apart from the
issue with the cockpit tub/front under carriage bay everything goes together
well.

Ethelian Middleton.

In part II of this build Eth will get a bit more colourful - and you may see this aircraft in a whole different hue - part II of the build